"I feel bad she lost the baby, but she's better off without him, believe me."
"He stopped by again Saturday night while you were at your friend's birthday party. I told him to come back on Monday." Mom's hand flew to her mouth. "Did he show up here?"
"Yes. It wasn't easy, because he's very persistent, but I think I finally convinced him to leave me alone." She resisted the urge to fanherself as she recalled Gabe’s part in persuading Phillip to leave and how he’d almost kissed her again. "But I wanted you to know the truth, so if he ever shows up here again, you can support me in getting rid of him."
"Of course we support you, honey." Mom put a hand on Paige's arm. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? I would have handled things much differently if I'd known."
Paige looked down at her now soggy waffle. "I was humiliated and ashamed for my part in breaking up his and Avery's relationship."
"No." Dad spoke for the first time. He pointed a finger at her. "Phillip is the one who destroyed that relationship. Not you. Do you understand?"
Her father's passionate defense of her brought tears to her eyes. Gabe had said the same thing, and it meant the world to her that the most important men in her life agreed. She shouldn't think of Gabe that way, but she couldn't help herself. She'd noticed other similarities between Gabe and her father lately, but it was best not to dwell on them.
"Your father is right." Mom circled the table and sat in the chair beside her. She wrapped an arm around Paige's shoulder. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."
Now the tears came in full force. "I just feel so stupid for not seeing through his lies. I let his attention and words of flattery suck me in. I hate that I let him use me for eight months."
"How exactly did he use you?" Tension deepened Dad's voice, and his fists balled again. His expression looked downright murderous now, and Paige could guess what might be going through his mind.
"Not like that, Dad, I promise." She held up a hand. "He wanted an intimate relationship, but I refused to give in."
"Good for you, honey." Mom squeezed her tighter. "I'm proud of you for sticking to your morals."
It was a miracle that she'd been able to withstand him, considering how persuasive and persistent Phillip was.
"You're a strong young woman, Paige." Dad's voice turned gentle as he gave her an earnest look across the table. It was the bedsidemanner that he was so well known for. "I'm proud of how hard you've worked to recover, both physically and emotionally."
"Me too." Mom patted her shoulder before removing her arm away. "I know it hasn't been easy."
Even though breakfast no longer looked appetizing, Paige speared a strawberry and stuck it in her mouth.
"How is your physical therapy going?" Dad asked as he stood from the table and picked up his breakfast plate.
The strawberry stuck in her throat, and she had to swallow hard to force it down. "It’s going good."
It was the highlight of her day every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She looked forward to seeing Gabe even though he continued to add more difficult exercises to her routine. She enjoyed the camaraderie between him and Luke and the entertaining discussions that often included everyone in the office, including two new patients that had recently started PT.
It had been busy enough this week that there hadn't been a chance for things to get too personal between her and Gabe, but they always found something interesting to talk about while he massaged and stretched her.
"How is Dr. Rivera working out?" Dad turned from the dishwasher and looked at her.
Images of Gabe and Luke's push-up contest filled her mind, and her lips turned up. "He's working out great. He's an excellent therapist."
"Good." Dad nodded. "I'd hoped he'd be a good addition to our community."
Addition to our community?
Did Dad expect Gabe to eventually run a full-time office here in Providence? It was certainly busier this week than it was four weeks ago, but even if there were enough patients here for a full-time office, Gabe would never consider moving here permanently. Not while his mother was so sick.
Gabe's mother.
And that brought Paige to the second thing that kept her stomach twisted in knots all week.
Mom now loaded her dishes into the dishwasher and would soon leave the kitchen, so Paige blurted out. "By the way, I'm planning on going to the Tri-Cities this afternoon to hang out with Angie and some of her friends again."
Angie was the former college roommate whose birthday party she'd told her parents she was going to last weekend. If she kept her lies consistent, maybe she'd find them easier to remember.
"Good for you." Mom came back to the table and patted her shoulder again. "I'm glad to see you getting out. You've been stuck at home with us old fogies for too long."
